How WA Got Public Transport Right

This article describes the successes of public transport in Perth, Western Australia (WA), a marked difference from the poor quality public transport experienced in Melbourne and Sydney. Public transport use in Perth has grown by 32% in the period 1992-2005 and bus services feed into the new urban rail link, the Mandurah line. The author explores how and why this success story happened in a city that had been dominated by urban freeways and road building for many years. He focuses on the role that community campaigning and action groups played in this transformation, as well as the shifting political support that eventually moved away from road building towards urban rail and integration. The author concludes that establishment of an integrated public transport authority with control over rail and bus (Transperth) was inspirational and brought Perth into line with successful European cities like Zurich and with Vancouver in Canada. The discussion emphasizes lessons learned in Perth that could be used to rescue the public transportation systems in Melbourne and Sydney. This article was previously published in D!SSENT Number 32, Autumn/Winter 2010.